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So this challenge most definitely isn't just an excuse for me to gush about Faramir... but there will certainly be gushing. He's a skilled fighter but he prefers scholarly pursuits and is kind and gentle. He welcomes Aragorn to the throne even though it diminishes his power as Steward. He doesn't allow his father's blatant favoritism to corrupt his relationship with his brother. What I'm saying is, the world would be a better place if we all tried to be more like Faramir. For this challenge, I'm trying to be more like him in two areas: Resist the One Ring "I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs, Frodo son of Drogo.” My One Ring is my phone. Over the summer I made a lot of progress in not wasting time doomscrolling or playing mindless games, but there was lots of backsliding last challenge, which kills my evening routine particularly. The rule for this challenge is going to be no phone time after dinner, answering texts or phone calls allowed, but no social media or games. Part of the reason I backslid last challenge is because evenings I didn't feel like reading I'd end up on my phone instead. So to help combat that, I'm going to take up crocheting again (and possibly try some knitting.) It gives me something to do with my hands that is easy on my eyes and is also a productive hobby. Actually, part of the problem is it's too productive, as I got away from it because I was running out of people to give scarves to. We have a sadly high number of students with pregnant girlfriends at home, however, so I'm going to look into making baby stuff to send home with them. Technically we're not supposed to bring stuff in for the boys, but that's more to prevent favoritism and contraband and all that. As long as I run everything through official channels, it shouldn't be a problem. And if it is, there's plenty of other places I can donate stuff, but this has a more personal touch to it. Know What I'm Fighting For “I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.” Another part of the reason I didn't do so hot last challenge is because I lost my focus. All summer I didn't do much, but it was purposeful. Fall came and I lost that sense of purpose, so for this challenge I will spend some time introspecting on what my long term goals are and why I'm pursuing them. So basically, figure out my Big Why, in NF lingo. Also, instead of putting up a big to-do list and then feeling bad if I don't get it done, I'm going to pick one thing to do, put a reason down with it, and then focus on that until it's done and it's time to pick a new thing. First goal is going to be to clean my room because I think a lot of my head-fuzziness and feeling a bit out of control directly stems from letting my bedroom turn into a disaster. I'm going to start with "the chair" (why does everyone have one of those chairs that just accumulates stuff?) because that's where the mess always grows from. If I can keep it under control, it makes it much easier to keep everything else squared away. So those are the two big goals, but I'm going to try to keep my Middle Earth garden from previous challenges in shape too. I even have a Faramir quote for that: Then Faramir laughed merrily. 'That is well,' he said; 'for I am not a king. Yet I will wed with the White Lady of Rohan, if it be her will. And if she will, then let us cross the River and in happier days let us dwell in fair Ithilien and there make a garden. All things will grow with joy there, if the White Lady comes.” In the spirit of the challenge, I'm going to strip back most of my routines here and rebuild them with definite reasons for why I'm doing everything. Athelas: My morning routine is so much harder now that it's dark when I wake up. My goal here is to hit the snooze only once (might eventually go to zero, but we're taking baby steps.) The reason is that gives me more space for the rest of my routine once I'm ready for it and because Gingersnap does really well through the night, but she really needs to go outside and get some attention first thing in the morning and it feels mean to keep getting her hopes up and then dashing them by hitting the snooze. Also going to put making my bed as part of this challenge because it's already an established habit and an easy win first thing in the morning is nice. Old Man Willow: Last challenge I scrapped my evening routine because it wasn't happening and simply went with a bed time of 10:30, which went pretty well. I'm going to widen that out to a goal of going to bed any time between 10 and 11, which gives me some flexibility with my evenings but also adds in some structure and routine, which is something that helps me out and also because I am still training a puppy who absolutely thrives on routines. Adding in brushing my teeth before bed because dental hygiene is important and I'm going to be really mad at myself someday if I need expensive dental surgery because I was too lazy to brush my teeth. White Tree of Gondor: I am super stoked for the revamp of the NF bodyweight workouts being rolled out next month in NF Prime. We'll see how things are looking November 8th, I might jump on them right away, or might save them for a future challenge. For starters here I'm going to shoot for yoga/some sort of stretching 3 times/week. My back has been really tight lately, mostly I think due to barn building, but I might be having mattress issues as well. Currently debating if a topper will help or if I should just bite the bullet and replace the whole thing. Laid down with a heating pad for a while last night and it felt so much better, made sure to sleep on my back and woke up pain-free for the first time in a little while, which was really nice. But it tightened back up on the way to work, which stinks. Might be too much sitting in the office as well, so I'll have to be more conscious to move around more. Haven't been wearing my Garmin lately, but I'll either have to bust that out or set an alarm to tell me to get up and walk. (that goal started really clear and then got kind of fuzzy. I'll firm up the move-at-work goal by the end of zero week.) Party Tree: Gingersnap's puppy classes are done for now and I'm waiting for the next round of classes to get announced. Eventually planning to do agility with her, I think she'll kill it. Not sure yet if I'm going to try taking her to competitions or just playing around with a local trainer. Either way, we'll both get exercise and have some fun and will hopefully also meet some like-minded people I can hang out with. I'm also still working on finding a church where I can build a Fellowship because spiritual growth really does take a village. I really like the ladies at the Thursday Bible study, but they're a very insular group. They have not been the least bit unwelcoming, but they all work together, or with each other's husbands, and all live within like one square mile of each other. The same is true of East Main as a whole, after 3 months I still don't feel like anyone really sees me there on a Sunday, and the couple of Sundays I went elsewhere, no one seems to have noticed. Last two weeks I went to Grace Anglican, and the liturgical service is something I was looking for in a new church. Not making any hard decisions now, but I am going to keep exploring Grace Anglican, and possibly a few other churches in the area. Not everyone at the Thursday night study is a member of East Main, so I'm not completely crossing them off the list either, even if I end up going elsewhere. Did not make it down to my friend Bud last challenge, partially due to truck problems but also just procrastination. However, I literally just paused typing this up to text him, so that's already being addressed. Two Trees of Valinor: Spending time outside is good for my health physically, mentally, emotionally, pretty much every way. I'm reminding myself of that because as the weather turns, this is going to have to get more attention from me, but for now it hasn't been an issue. As it gets colder, I also need to make sure my water intake stays up because it's the building block of life and also because drinking more water means drinking less sugary stuff and leaves me feeling lean, mean, and ready to go.

Hello! I'm Miss Fortuosity. I'm a 30-ish mom of three, cosplayer, crafter of various things, and new rebel. Kinda. I did a search in Google assistant one day (for something vague and possibly not even fitness related), and the result it gave me was an article from nerd fitness. I kind of- well, I was shocked. Nerd Fitness? As in, fitness for NERDS like me? I signed up for the emails right away. Learned about the Paleo diet. Steve said it worked. I collected some underpants on it. My husband and I had a family meeting and we decided the whole family should do it. He bought a cookbook called everyday paleo. I've been stricter than he, and my kids still get dairy products, but it has made a DIFFERENCE. My son is better at focusing. My hubby is finally starting to shed fat. I had a baby in September. I'm now 10 pounds lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight. I've lost 30 pounds since January. This is the best site I've ever found to help me get back to where I'm healthy, and happy. 30 down, 40 to go. Thanks to God for throwing me that out of context search result on Google. Thanks to Steve, and his rebellion, for working so hard. I'm finally on my way!

Hello Rebels, I wanted to come out and share why I'm here, and why I'm doing all this. It starts with the "Big Why", why did I choose to start loosing weight and what's the whole endgame for me? For me, I have a bit of a "cursed physique" to say the least. Being 6'6" tall I've always carried my weight somewhat well. People had tried to guess my weight and would flatteringly guess sizes about 80lbs lighter than I actually look, the reality is I was at my heaviest close to 360 lbs. I used to be an avid runner and weight lifter until I started a job that wasn't very physically demanding but required several long days a week, lots of driving and a lot of time to think. I hated that job, and because of the circumstances, my weight ballooned and my fitness dropped. Until one day the best thing that ever happened to me came along, I was laid off. For the first time my adult life I had something I never had before, free time. Now loosing your job seems like something that sucks and it kind of did, but it opened a door for me, the chance to go back to school and finish my degree in Criminal Justice I had bailed out on a few years ago. So when I resolved to go back to school I resolved to go for my dream career in Law Enforcement. Now we know my big why, I want to get into my dream career working as a Peace Officer. So my membership to Nerd Academy started in Feb of 2018 when I started my first semester back as well. So here is my Epic quest: 1. Crush Push-ups: All agencies require some level of Push-ups to be commited as part of a physical agility test, and the minimum is 25. But I don't want to do the minimum, I want to be able to crush as many as I can in the time given. 2. Smash Sit Ups: Again based on the average PAT, the standard is 25, but I'm not as worried about this one as I am with the Push-ups, I've always had a pretty good core. 3. 1.5 mile run in under 14.5 minutes: I want to make 1.5 miles happen as quickly as possible. That's it, a seeming simple goal to get to, I know as I improve my fitness, weightloss will come with it. Here is my progress over the last few months: Push-ups: I struggled to do one in bad form, but now I can do at least 5 thanks to the use of knee push-ups and elevated push-ups in the body weight workout series. Running: I went from barely a min to about 3+ mins in a single burst, I use C25K to help develop running for time, I plan on once I get to 15 consecutive minutes without rest, I'll start upping my pace. Sit Ups: I don't really practice these as much because of their debatable effect on health, but I did go from a 20 sec plank to about a 45-60 sec plank depending on my day. And my starting weight for the academy was about 350 (highest was 358) to 329 at my last weigh in. Thanks for reading, I also should share that I've been training on Stronglifts 5x5 before I started the Nerd Academy Plans. One of my big reasons for Starting with Nerd Academy was to help find some direction on what else to do and this site has been a big help.

My fellow NF Rebels, I'm Kymberleigh, a Level 5 Rebel on her way to Level 50. I'm an Academy member with a goal to join NF Yoga soon. My Big Why is for health reasons. I'm sick of being overweight and unhealthy. I'm also battling a food addiction and Bi Polor Disorder. I've tried many times and failed because I wanted to be superwoman and change everything at once. I refuse to make the same mistake this time around. My battle inventory consists of my Fitbit Flex, the book Level Up Your Life by Steve Kamb, and a small library of workout DVDs. My Level 50 (page 91-94 of Level Up Your Life) would show me at the best shape of my life. I'm active, enjoying life, and organized. I'm both physically and mentally at my best and I'm financially successful. My anxiety is well managed and I can now travel to far away places. I'm truly happy. *sigh* Someday. Thanks for reading.

Hi everyone, I'm just starting Nerd Fitness, having discovered the site only a few days ago. I'm a 30 year old PhD student studying physiology. I'm nearly finished, and currently having something of a crisis when I realize that I don't know what I want to do next in life. There are lots of possibilities, but it's hard to not feel anxious about the future. Being honest about my inner geek/nerd seemed a good place to start, so I'm looking forward to making some friends within this community. Everyone seems friendly so far! My main reasons for wanting to get more in shape are that I’m disappointed with how little physical activity I do and how little I actually get out and enjoy life outside. I'm sad when I compare my current life to the one I used to have as a kid. I used to spend hours at the beach swimming, so much so that my hair was permanently bleached by the sun and I had a natural tan. I also did tennis and horseback riding. Before then, I used to climb EVERYTHING. On the playground, I lived on the jungle gym, especially the monkey bars. They were my favorite and my hands constantly had blisters on them... it was so very worth it and I miss those times. Yesterday I went to a park and found that I couldn't even do a single pull up. I miss having more control over my body and I miss feeling healthy. Long story short, I want to be an adventurer like the characters and heroes that I read about. I want this so that I am prepared for anything that life throws at me, and so that in 30+ years, I’m not paying the cost of having wrecked my body and having wasted my health. It would also be good in order to prepare for the occasional zombie outbreak, or werewolf infestation. Or in the event of any inter-dimensional portals popping up. Either way, I know one tiny human like myself can't prepare for everything, but I can give myself a good running start! On that same vein, I would like to feel energized instead of fatigued constantly and to be sharp mentally. I don’t want to go through life feeling groggy and half-alive anymore. Feel free to drop me a line if you'd like to be friends. Cheers, Sy

So I'm starting a respawn, but trying something entirely new, so as not to go insane (you know, insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, right?) So I'm starting this respawn by 1 actually posting my plans, for some accountability, 2 following the academy plan after 3 starting wih an elimination diet to really find out what will work for me, what has been sabotaging me, and also to push myself to be more creative, and resourceful in my cooking and prep. So as a first step, here are my before pics: Here are my starting measurements: Weight: 268 lbs Neck: 16.5" Chest: 47.25" biceps: 15.5" waist: 48" Hips: 51.25" Thigh: 27" Calf: 19.5" Here is my big why (in two parts, one is my big why overall, and the other is my big why on why I am doing the elimination diet. ) The Big Why My big why for this journey to being healthier, happier and stronger is to feel comfortable in my body. I want to be confident that I am not a hindrance to my dreams. I also want to pass my confidence with my body to any children I have and may have in the future. I do not want to see them have the same unhealthy relationship with food that I did, or same self-consciousness that led me to not follow my passions and dreams as fully as I should have because I did not think I could because I was “fat” I also just want to feel in control of my eating. When I give in to my eating habits I feel out of control and feel like a failure. I am tired of feeling like a failure. I want this confidence back: The big Elimination Diet Why: I am doing this elimination diet for several reasons. I want to get to the bottom of what causes me illness, or pain. This way I can tailor a nutritional plan just for myself and give myself the biggest chance for success. I also want to reset my eating habits, start clean, and build a sustainable basis. I also want to experiment with several new combinations of food. I want to discover more about myself during this journey. This is not a weight loss diet, this is not a fad diet. This is merely a science experiment to really teach me the consequences of not sticking to the lifestyles I will have chosen. I also want to prove to myself I am stronger than my struggle, I CAN DO THIS. I can stick with something. I can.